Iroquois Nationals Tryouts: Five Things To Watch

The Iroquois Nationals are holding their first tryout this coming Saturday in preparation for the 2014 FIL World Lacrosse Championships. The evaluation is being held at the Six Nations Field Lacrosse Center in Ohsweken, Ont., and will be broken up into two parts, with one session running from noon to 3 p.m., and the second starting at 5 p.m. and wrapping up at 9.

Inside Lacrosse will be on hand for the tryouts, which will be overseen by Steve Beville, who will coach the Iroquois Nationals next summer after guiding the U-19 Iroquois team to the bronze medal at the 2012 U-19 FIL World Lacrosse Championships. Here are a few important items to watch this weekend.

1. Mann Cup Impact

The Team USA tryouts a couple weeks back came just after the completion of the Major League Lacrosse season, with the championship being held just a weekend prior. Whatever impact that had on the tryouts was much less significant than the Mann Cup taking place this week, which means a number of high-profile players — some of them likely to make the Iroquois Nationals roster for 2014 — might not be able to attend the first official evaluation trial for the Nationals.

Cody Jamieson, Sid Smith, Tom Montour, Alex Kedoh Hill and Johnny Powless are all competing for the Six Nations Chiefs out in Victoria, British Columbia, for the Canadian Lacrosse Association's Senior A box lacrosse championship. Each of those players is a strong candidate, with Jamieson and Smith likely locks. On the other side of the floor, Jeff Shattler — arguably the most dynamic of all the Iroquois players currently playing pro lacrosse — is a member of the Victoria Shamrocks. As of Thursday, the Chiefs held a 3-2 lead in the series, with game six scheduled for Friday night, meaning these players are unlikely to be at the tryouts on Six Nations.

2. College Commitments

In the same sense that the Mann Cup is a superior priority for the players involved in the hunt, several notable young Iroquois players are believed to be hard-pressed to make the tryouts given the distance between their respective colleges and Six Nations.

With Zach Miller at Denver and Zed Williams enrolled at Virginia, it remains to be seen whether these two young stars can make it to Six Nations with their commitment to fallball activities and academics. Players like Lyle, Miles and Ty Thompson (Albany) and Frank Brown (Hobart), on the other hand, find themselves much closer to Six Nations with an easy cruise west on the New York State Thruway.

3. High School Talent

As wild as it might sound, the Iroquois Nationals' relatively smaller but uniquely skilled player pool should result in several young players getting a sniff at a roster spot. And by young, we're talking really young — meaning players still competing at the high school level.

A healthy list of scholastic players could find themselves in the mix, especially with some of the more seasoned players not able to attend the first tryout. That group could include the likes of midfielder/attackman Brendan Bomberry (The Hill Academy '14) and defender Dalton Roundpoint (Salmon River '14), as well as a handful of other players from Six Nations and other reservations.

4. Emphasis on Defense

With what is likely to be the most potent offense the Iroquois Nationals have ever assembled, thanks to so many players who are excelling at the pro level and in college, coaches at this weekend's tryouts will likely be spending a lot of their time evaluating potential defenders.

Given the likely absence of Sid Smith, who is expected to anchor the Iroquois close defense, younger, less experienced players will have the opportunity to show what they can do this weekend. Beville told Inside Lacrosse in Lake Placid this summer that there's no question the Iroquois defense will be a young unit. It should be worth noting which burgeoning defenders stand out and earn additional opportunities to prove themselves.

5. Coach-Player Dynamic

Beville was instrumental in helping the Iroquois U-19 squad to an unforgettable showing in Finland last summer, including a huge upset against Team USA. While coaching is clearly at the very center of a team's success at the world level, it might be considered even more vital to the Iroquois Nationals chances next summer, with such a diverse group of players bringing different levels of experience to the field.

Beville spoke this summer about wanting to have a strong relationship with elders in the Iroquois community, who have significant influence on the Iroquois Nationals. He's been working closely with Iroquois players and community leaders since he was tabbed to lead the U-19 team. This weekend should provide him with an important opportunity to interact with both players, families and community members in an evaluative capacity. A man who has always been well respected in lacrosse circles, Beville's ability to cultivate positive relationships with players destined for the final roster could have a major impact on the team's success in Denver next summer.